The film — about trailblazing British-Somali boxer Ramla Ali — is having its world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival The producers of upcoming British boxing biopic “In the Shadow” have successfully staged a last-minute rescue mission to save their film after its U.K. distributor True Brit Entertainment filed for administration in late September. The film — based on the true story of trailblazing British-Somali boxer, model and UNICEF Ambassador Ramla Ali and due to have its world premiere at the London Film Festival on Oct. 9 — will now be self-released theatrically in the U.K. thanks to additional support from its financiers. Magiday said they only found out in mid-September that there would be no money for the P&A spend.
With near perfect timing, Ali then has a world title fight on Nov. 8 in the U.S. and will return to help support the film with further special event screenings and Q&As. Magiday and Sanderson praise their exec producers Richard Fern, Anushka Shah and Natasha Mudhar for their additional financial support to enable the release, but also say they’re deeply thankful for the assistance of Will Clarke at Altitude Films, which is selling the “In the Shadows” globally. Clarke would introduce the producers to Ben Metcalf at Metis Films, which is now physically handling the distribution, with former True Brit exec Kate Neville-Towle overseeing marketing.
It was at the boxing club where she trained that she met her future husband, Richard Moore, who converted to Islam — a testament to his profound love for her. The film explores both Ali’s drive to succeed despite the numerous obstacles in and out of the ring — a drive that helped her become the first boxer ever to represent Somalia at the the 2020 Olympic Games and the first-ever professional female boxing match in Saudi Arabia — and the love story between her and Moore as they navigate racial and cultural barriers. For Magiday, there are parallels between the story behind “In the Shadows” and the making of it, culminating in the last-minute rescue.
This was made by sheer will and determination, and some amazing backers who believed in the story. For us, it’s such an important film because it is about hope. It’s not just the normal boxing story — it’s about being accepted by your your culture, by your family, by your community, and also finding love.”
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